Pray Always

Prayer, with loved ones invited
Brings us close. We are united
Can they substitute our own?
Where are heartfelt thoughts most grown?
The oft public and family prayers we give
Cannot be considered our sole motive

We ought to pray vocally
Even when said privately
Home teachers, they with priesthood
Can remind us that we should
Though amidst anxieties we attempt
Though darkness tells us not to and will tempt

The Lord cautioned Joseph Smith
Pray lest that which is wicked
Tries to deceive and over power you.
Through prayer, there's protection in all we do
Lest we find we are led into temptation
From the downed lines of communication

To those who are in trouble
Who feels their needs have doubled
What's the first thought one should say?
"Are you involved when you pray?"
There is knowledge God wants us to receive
Prayer is more powerful that we can conceive

For decisions in our lives
For direction as one strives
We can pray more fervently
Tenderly and honestly
Who will not gain love for His purposes?
As one demonstrates more faith and focuses

[Verse 1] Prayer, with loved ones invited Brings us close We are united Can they substitute our own? Where are heartfelt thoughts most grown? [Pre-Chorus] The oft public and family prayers we give Cannot be considered our sole motive We ought to pray vocally Even when said privately [Chorus] Pray with me Pray with me We are united Pray with me Pray with me Hearts grow inside [Verse 2] Home teachers, they with priesthood Can remind us that we should Though amidst anxieties we attempt Though darkness tells us not to and will tempt The Lord cautioned Joseph Smith Pray lest that which is wicked Tries to deceive and over power you Through prayer, there's protection in all we do [Pre-Chorus] Lest we find we are led into temptation From the downed lines of communication To those who are in trouble Who feels their needs have doubled [Chorus] Pray with me Pray with me We are united Pray with me Pray with me Hearts grow inside [Bridge] What's the first thought one should say? Are you involved when you pray? There is knowledge God wants us to receive Prayer is more powerful that we can conceive For decisions in our lives For direction as one strives We can pray more fervently Tenderly and honestly [Final Chorus] Pray with me Pray with me We are united Pray with me Pray with me Hearts grow inside Who will not gain love For His purposes? As one demonstrates more faith And focuses!

Enos wrestled before God
Now commissioned with the rod
He struggled with how he'd strayed
For sin's remission he prayed
When minutes turned to hours, turned to night
He heard the Lords voice after he cried with might

His soul was searching and reaching
While knocking, asking and pleading
He felt as though born again
The joy in his heart sunk in
He also prayed for all his families
Even though some were also enemies

He sought the lord out in prayer
How his soul hungered, he shared
Memory opened to his past
To the words his father cast
So earnest and determined was his soul
The spirit of repentance took a hold

'Our Father in Heaven
I seek to be forgiven
Help me forgive my debtors
And think on them as brothers
Help me to see each other, as Thou does
Help me to remember from where my start was

And when there is temptation
Help my communication
That evil may not have power
Keep me safe that very hour
For Thine is the power and the kingdom
Thine is the glory, forever. Amen'

Inbetween daily prayers said
May our minds and hearts be fed
May we have hope in all things
And call upon heavens blessings
Supplications, prayers and intercessions
Should, with gratitude, have inner sessions

Verse 1] Now commissioner, keeper of His Word Enos wrestled before God He struggled with how he'd strayed For sin's remission he prayed When minutes turned to hours, turned to night He heard the Lords voice after he cried with might [Pre-Chorus] His soul was searching and reaching While knocking, asking and pleading He felt as though born again The joy in his heart sunk in [Chorus] Our Father in Heaven I seek to be forgiven Help me forgive my debtors And think on them as brothers Help me to see each other, as Thou does Help me to remember from where my start was Our Father in Heaven I seek to be forgiven [Verse 2] And when there is temptation Help my communication That evil may not have power Keep me safe that very hour For Thine is the power and the kingdom Thine is the glory, forever. Amen [Pre-Chorus] He also prayed for all his families Even though some were also enemies He sought the lord out in prayer How his soul hungered, he shared Memory opened to his past To the words his father cast [Chorus] Our Father in Heaven I seek to be forgiven Help me forgive my debtors And think on them as brothers Help me to see each other, as Thou does Help me to remember from where my start was Our Father in Heaven I seek to be forgiven [Bridge] In between daily prayers said May our minds and hearts be fed May we have hope in all things And call upon heavens blessings Supplications, prayers and intercessions Should, with gratitude, have inner sessions [Final Chorus] Our Father in Heaven I seek to be forgiven Help me forgive my debtors And think on them as brothers Help me to see each other, as Thou does Help me to remember from where my start was Our Father in Heaven I seek to be forgiven

Spencer W. Kimball
Pray Always , Tabuli, March 1982

3Nephi
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
12 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
13 For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.

D&C 93
49 What I say unto one I say unto all;
pray always lest that wicked one have power in you,
and remove you out of your place.

1 Tim. 2: 1
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks,
be made for all men;

D&C 20: 47, 51
47 And visit the house of each member,
and exhort them to pray vocally and in secret
and attend to all family duties.
• • •
51 And visit the house of each member,
exhorting them to pray vocally and in secret
and attend to all family duties.

D&C 19: 28
28 And again, I command thee
that thou shalt pray vocally
as well as in thy heart; yea, before the world
as well as in secret, in public as well as in private.

JS-H 1: 14
14 So, in accordance with this,
my determination to ask of God,
I retired to the woods to make the attempt.
It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day,
early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty.
It was the first time in my life that I had made such
an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never
as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.

Adversity Begins With the First Breath

Adversity begins with our very first breath
As we sense the struggle between life and death
Dependent completely for everything at first
One develops ability for better or worse

Then comes the search for independence and choice
To experience the freedom to dream and rejoice
And as we learn, our knowledge comes with a high price
For we discover that the world is not always good and nice

Soon we find we're not always innocent, for we've much that does afflict
As our agency overwhelms us, thereto act and self-inflict
One thing becomes certain, hard times define what we are
And, too, they determine if and when we'll travel far

Fortunately, we've a Savior, who's experienced it all
He is there to give us aid, and comfort us when we fall
He is there to guide us, when we're confused and we're tested
It is for our souls, that He has suffered and invested

As we mature, we gasp that we've this incredible blessing
And we learn ever to grasp His hand when life is distressing
Then we look around at those struggling and want to share
That there is a Savior, with hands, ever stretching to give care

Our Father, in His wisdom, gives us trials to rise above!
Oh, what things we receive when we learn what it is to love
As work hardens our muscles and sorrows try our very souls
It is then we're prepared and strengthened to achieve our highest goals

Are we not exposed to temptations to test and to try us?
And, further, to value the perfection of our Lord, our Jesus?
With pain we learn patience, and conquer feeling horrified
And peace replaces fear of death, unto faith in our being glorified!

[Verse 1] Adversity begins with our very first breath As we sense the struggle between life and death Dependent completely for everything at first One develops ability for better or worse Then comes the search for independence and choice To experience the freedom to dream and rejoice [Pre-Chorus] And as we learn, our knowledge comes with a high price For we discover that the world is not always good and nice Soon we find we're not always innocent For we've much that does afflict As our agency overwhelms us Thereto act and self-inflict [Chorus] There is a Savior There is a Savior When I fall, He stays There is a Savior There is a Savior Hands out every day [Verse 2] One thing becomes certain, hard times define what we are And, too, they determine if and when we'll travel far Fortunately, we've a Savior, who's experienced it all He is there to give us aid, and comfort us when we fall He is there to guide us, when we're confused and we're tested It is for our souls, that He has suffered and invested [Pre-Chorus] As we mature, we gasp that we've this incredible blessing And we learn ever to grasp His hand when life is distressing Then we look around at those struggling and want to share That there is a Savior, with hands, ever stretching to give care [Chorus] There is a Savior There is a Savior When I fall, He stays There is a Savior There is a Savior Hands out every day [Bridge] Our Father, in His wisdom, gives us trials to rise above! Oh, what things we receive when we learn what it is to love As work hardens our muscles and sorrows try our very souls It is then we're prepared and strengthened to achieve our highest goals Are we not exposed to temptations to test and to try us? And, further, to value the perfection of our Lord, our Jesus? With pain we learn patience, and conquer feeling horrified And peace replaces fear of death, unto faith in our being glorified [Final Chorus] There is a Savior There is a Savior When I fall, He stays There is a Savior There is a Savior Hands out every day

Thoughts from
President Patterson's talk
March 15, 2009
In Moorpark's Ward Conference
He quoted President Kimball: "Is there not wisdom in his giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified?"

The Prophets Have Spoken - From Wilford Woodruff to Thomas S Monson

"With our hands to the plough
Looking forward
with our eyes to the light
Looking upward"

We seek to know our Father's will
With fear, trembling at His love
And seek His business to fulfill
For we know He and His Son yet live

Pondering ...President Spencer W. Kimball

The tone softened through the years and now we hear the voice of the prophet as we would that of a tender father speaking heart to heart, spirit to spirit, with conviction.

Zion's Pure in Heart

Love

The crowning principle of life
Is the gospel in action
Where the love of husband and wife
Lays down a solid foundation

Service

Pure religion lifts sorrows
Succors the needs of widows
Aids those in need of fathering
For Christ's sake, who's felt their suffering

Work

We've happiness and self-esteem
When we work and accomplish
And, thus we realize wellbeing
As we further our membership

Self-Reliance

To become, more of self, stewards
We're commanded by the Lord
Every aspect leans towards
First the self, then family, then ward

Consecration

Consecration is sacrifice

Of one's time and one's talents

For the Lord, without thinking twice

We are His laboring servants

Accountability

All things belong to the Lord

And we're held accountable

In all we apply our lives for

May we show we're responsible

The highest order of priesthood

Is founded on all these things

To serve others with brotherhood

Is the noblest of all dealings

How this applies to church programs

We can have understanding

When we've provident living plans

What's good, we're accentuating

Let's do these things because they're right

Because they are satisfying

Then, when storms blow with all their might

Stakes of refuge we are finding

-Spencer W. Kimball

And the Lord Called His People Zion

And the Lord Called His People Zion

When we look at our spiritual heritage
We've intensified hope and lengthen our stride
When we're kind and don't give into disparage
We rescue all that is finest deep inside

As we practice virtue and holiness
We give and receive, we share and build character
There to ignore all forms of lasciviousness
And grow as a Zion, where each need is factored

Gone would be strife, tumults, and whoredoms
As to our neighbors, we aim to be handier
And, without lies, we know more freedoms,
As with each other, we could not be happier

We'd be partakers of a heavenly gift
With a remission of sins from day to day
Both physically and spiritually, we'd not drift
As hunger and nakedness is swept away

To dwell in righteousness, we'd be so kind
We'd aid the sick giving a shoulder to lean and cry on
How we'd celebrate to live of one heart and one mind!
Who does not thrill of this depiction of zion?

In fourth Nephi, we witness it's blessing
As the "ites" all blended to become delightsome
For they'd lost all desire to do bad things
And grew more grateful, selfless, and wholesome

Who can look upon another who has much less
And say to themselves their poverty is just
When of the whole world, our Father would that we bless
For when we've robes and they've rags, we know what's a must

Our highest spiritual achievement is when
Those who are dependent can learn a new way
And soon more are teaching others this lesson
Till the curse of idleness is done away

As givers gain control of their desires
And properly see their own needs from their wants
The welfare service in action never tires
And one's measure of love is known all at once

How we treat man, measures our love for the Lord
What's the highest achievement? To conquer the flesh!
Then we're rich in spirit, we're of one accord
And when we're all Christ-like, our purposes mesh

To love is the first of all the commandments
With welfare as the essence of the gospel
Zion will put on her beautiful garments
When we learn to apply this crowning principle

If we give a generous fast offering
We'll meet the cash needs of the welfare program
And physical needs we'll soon be tempering
As we're provident and each are safe in God's plan

The stakes of Zion serve as our defense
Where we are promised a refuge from the storm
In the face of difficult times, it's a safe fence
Where there's obedience as gardens there to form


Spencer W. Kimball

The Gospel Vision of the Arts

In our world there have risen brilliant stars
Bursting from all the fields of excellence
One day our members will exceed others by far
As the world increases in divergence

Zion, one day, will be praised on earth
Kings will come to gaze upon her glory
To hear songs of Christ, as too new arts give birth
Which depict the greatest events in history

Who's obsessed enough for this worthy goal?
To tell each story with love and pathos
Imagine these masterpieces in perfection
Bringing the gospel to life with passion...
Our own talent, obsessed with dynamism from a worthy goal, could put into such a story life and heartbeats and emotions and love and pathos, drama, suffering, fear, courage; and they could put into it the great leader, the mighty modern Moses who led a people farther than from Egypt to Jericho, who knew miracles as great as the stream from the rock at Horeb, manna in the desert, giant grapes, rain when needed, battles won against great odds.

-Spencer W. Kimball